Milly Gaines
Road diets are a highly effective way to improve safety for all road users, including drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. They involve reallocating space from vehicle lanes to create bike lanes and sidewalks, improving mobility and safety for non-vehicle users. Road diets also reduce vehicle speeds, leading to fewer and less severe crashes. While some worry that reducing lanes will cause more congestion, road diets rarely have this effect. Instead, they calm traffic, reduce emissions, and improve overall convenience and quality of life for all road users.
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What You'll Learn
Road diets improve safety
Road diets are an effective way to improve safety for all road users. They are a proven safety countermeasure, reducing the number and severity of crashes. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) points out that undivided four-lane roads are the site of a wide range of dangerous collisions, from sideswipes to bike and pedestrian crashes.
Road diets work by reducing lanes and reallocating space for other modes of travel, such as bike lanes or sidewalks. This has a tremendous impact on the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians, who are no longer separated from fast-moving traffic by just a narrow strip of paint. The reduction in lanes also has a calming effect on traffic, reducing vehicle speeds and the number of vehicles on the road. This is important because speed is a primary factor in road safety, with higher speeds leading to more severe crashes.
The data supports this, with broad studies showing that road diets can reduce crashes by between 19% and 47%, with one road diet in Seoul, South Korea, achieving a 34% reduction in accidents. In Seattle, a 2008 road diet reduced pedestrian collisions by 80% and saw a 35% increase in cyclist traffic without any increase in crashes. The addition of a bike lane can reduce bike crashes by 49% on four-lane roads.
Road diets can also improve safety for drivers. With fewer lanes, there are fewer opportunities for dangerous lane-changing manoeuvres, and reduced speeds mean that crashes that do occur are less likely to be fatal. Side-street traffic can also enter the mainline more comfortably, with fewer lanes to cross, reducing delays and the temptation to speed up to 'beat the traffic'.
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They reduce speed differentials
One of the primary goals of road diets is to improve safety by reducing speed differentials. This is achieved by converting four-lane undivided roads to three-lane cross-sections with TWLTLs (two-way left-turn lanes). On four-lane undivided roads, vehicle speeds can vary significantly between lanes, with drivers frequently slowing down or changing lanes due to slower or stopped vehicles. This variability in speed can lead to accordion-style slow-and-go operations.
By reducing the number of lanes and implementing TWLTLs, road diets limit the speed differential by the speed of the lead vehicle in the through lane. Through vehicles are separated from left-turning vehicles, reducing vehicle interactions and the number and severity of vehicle-to-vehicle crashes. Lower operating speeds also mean that when crashes do occur, their severity is decreased. For example, studies show that pedestrians are five times more likely to die from crashes when cars are traveling at 40 miles per hour compared to 20 miles per hour.
Road diets can also reduce the exposure of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists, and road workers, to high-speed traffic. By encouraging slower driving and reducing vehicle throughput, road diets improve safety for all road users. Additionally, the reallocation of space from travel lanes to bike lanes or sidewalks further enhances the safety and mobility of bicyclists and pedestrians.
The effectiveness of road diets in reducing speed differentials and improving safety is supported by data and research. Studies have shown that road diets can reduce crashes by between 19% and 47%, with even higher reductions in small urban areas. In Seattle, a road diet implemented in 2008 reduced pedestrian collisions by 80% without increasing bicycle-involved crashes, even with a 35% increase in cyclist traffic. While there may be concerns about increased congestion due to lane reductions, road diets rarely lead to more traffic. In some cases, they can even help ease congestion, as seen in the South Korean district of Sinchon-dong, Seoul, where a road diet resulted in a substantial reduction in traffic congestion and a 34% decrease in accidents.
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They cut emissions
Road diets are effective in cutting emissions. They do so by reducing the number of lanes available for vehicles, which in turn reduces vehicle throughput and encourages slower driving. This reduction in speed and vehicle numbers leads to a decrease in fuel consumption and emissions.
The Southern Maine Planning & Development Commission, for example, used VMT and Origin-Destination analyses to measure local GHG emissions and plan regional reduction strategies, including multimodal infrastructure that would reduce VMT.
Road diets are also effective in reducing overall crash frequency by 19-47%, with higher reductions in small urban areas. This is due to the reduction in vehicle-to-vehicle conflicts, such as rear-end, left-turn, and sideswipe crashes, which are common on four-lane undivided roads. By reducing the number of lanes, road diets also make crossing the road safer for pedestrians, reducing the number of lanes they have to cross and their exposure to moving traffic.
Additionally, road diets can provide space for alternative modes of travel, such as bike lanes, sidewalks, and dedicated bus lanes, which encourage more efficient and environmentally friendly modes of transportation. This can lead to a reduction in the number of cars on the road and, consequently, a decrease in emissions.
However, it is important to note that road diets may not be effective in all areas. For example, in Los Angeles, California, traffic fatalities increased by 32% after the implementation of a road diet plan. Additionally, some argue that road diets may slow down public transportation or divert heavy traffic to other routes. Therefore, it is crucial to carefully plan and assess the specific needs and conditions of an area before implementing a road diet to ensure its effectiveness in reducing emissions and improving overall traffic flow.
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They calm traffic
Road diets are an effective way to calm traffic. They reduce the number of lanes available for vehicles, which in turn lowers traffic speed. This is important because speed is a primary factor in road safety, with higher speeds leading to more severe crashes. By reducing the speed differential, road diets provide a more consistent traffic flow and reduce the number and severity of crashes.
Road diets are particularly effective on four-lane undivided roads, which are prone to high-speed through traffic, left-turning vehicles, and other road users. By converting these roads to three-lane cross-sections, road diets can reduce the speed differential and vehicle interactions, making the road safer for all users.
The impact of road diets on traffic calming is also evident in the reduction of congestion. While there may be concerns that reducing lanes will increase congestion, road diets can actually help to reduce it. This is because adding lanes induces demand, leading more people to choose to drive on that roadway. By reducing the number of lanes, road diets can help to manage demand and improve traffic flow.
In addition to reducing congestion, road diets can also cut emissions. This is because cars are less fuel-efficient and produce more CO2 per mile traveled when traveling at higher speeds. By encouraging slower driving, road diets can help to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
The effectiveness of road diets in calming traffic has been demonstrated in various studies and real-world examples. For instance, a road diet in Seoul, South Korea, led to a substantial reduction in traffic congestion and a 34% decrease in accidents. Similarly, a road diet in Seattle reduced pedestrian collisions by 80% and increased cyclist traffic by 35% without any increase in bicycle-involved crashes. These examples illustrate the potential of road diets to calm traffic and improve safety for all road users.
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They improve convenience and quality of life
Road diets are an effective way to improve convenience and quality of life for all road users. They are a proven safety measure, reducing the number and severity of crashes. One of the main ways they achieve this is by reducing traffic speeds. With multiple lanes in each direction, drivers are incentivized to speed up and pass other vehicles. Undivided four-lane highways experience relatively high crash frequencies, especially as traffic volumes and turning movements increase over time, resulting in conflicts between high-speed through traffic, left-turning vehicles, and other road users.
Road diets calm traffic by reducing lanes and reallocating space for non-vehicle modes of transport, such as bike lanes or sidewalks. This has a tremendous impact on the mobility and safety of bicyclists and pedestrians, who are often vulnerable road users. The addition of a bike lane, for example, can reduce bike crashes by 49% on four-lane roads. The reduction in lanes also encourages slower driving, which not only makes crashes less severe but can also reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
Furthermore, road diets can improve convenience and quality of life by reducing side-street delays. With fewer lanes to cross, side-street traffic can more easily enter the mainline roadway. This also improves traffic flow along the corridor by reducing the "accordion-style" slow-and-go operations caused by speed differentials.
While some people are skeptical of road diets, claiming they may increase congestion or slow down public transportation, these concerns are not always borne out in reality. For example, in Seoul, a road diet implemented in 2014 saw a substantial reduction in traffic congestion and accidents, as well as a boost in business for local shops. Additionally, road diets can be relatively low-cost if planned in conjunction with reconstruction or simple overlay projects, as they primarily consist of restriping.
Overall, road diets are an effective tool to improve convenience and quality of life by making roads safer and more accessible for all users, including drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.
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Frequently asked questions
A road diet is a road safety measure that involves removing lanes to improve safety, cut emissions, and calm traffic.
Road diets improve safety by reducing the speed differential. On roads with multiple lanes in each direction, drivers are quick to speed up and pass other vehicles. Roads with little to no multimodal infrastructure also signal to drivers that they don't need to slow down for vulnerable road users. By reducing the number of lanes, road diets encourage slower driving, which leads to fewer and less severe crashes.
Road diets rarely lead to increased congestion. In fact, they can reduce congestion by reducing demand. Adding more lanes to a road can induce demand, leading more people to choose to drive on that road.
Yes, there are many successful examples of road diets. In Seattle, a 2008 road diet reduced pedestrian collisions by 80% and saw a 35% increase in cyclist traffic without any increase in bicycle-involved crashes. San Francisco has also completed over 40 road diet projects since the late 1970s, with Valencia Street becoming a national model for the common "4-to-3 lane" road diet type.
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